Mocha Scones: The Coffee Shop Classic You Can Actually Master at Home

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8 scones
Difficulty level: Easy
Dietary tags: Vegetarian

Mocha scones are that perfect marriage of rich chocolate and bold coffee that makes your morning worth waking up for.

I’ve been making these for years, and let me tell you—once you nail this recipe, you’ll never pay £3.50 for a dry coffee shop scone again.

The secret?
Cold butter, a light hand, and not overthinking it.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

• 2 large mixing bowls
• Stand mixer or whisk (your arms work fine too)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Sharp knife or dough scraper
• Pastry brush (or your fingers, honestly)

Simple alternatives:
– No stand mixer? Use a fork and some elbow grease
– Skip the pastry brush—use your fingertips to spread the egg wash

INGREDIENTS

Dry ingredients:

• 2½ cups (312g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoons instant coffee (not grounds—instant dissolves better)
• 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cold and sliced thin

Wet ingredients:

• ¾ cup (180ml) heavy whipping cream
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix-ins:

• 1½ cups (270g) chocolate chips or chunks (I use half dark, half semi-sweet)

Topping:

• Sanding sugar (optional but gorgeous)

Substitutions:
– Heavy cream → full-fat Greek yogurt (texture changes slightly)
– Butter → coconut oil for dairy-free (loses some flakiness)
– All-purpose flour → add ½ cup whole wheat (heartier, less tender)

METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Grab your large bowl and whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Don’t skip the whisking—it aerates everything.

3. Add those thin butter slices. Now here’s where most people mess up: use your hands. Work the butter into the flour until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. You want pea-sized butter bits throughout. This takes maybe 2 minutes.

4. In your second bowl, whisk the cream, eggs, vanilla, and instant coffee until that coffee dissolves completely. No one wants coffee grit in their scones.

5. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of your wet mixture into the dry stuff. Save those 2 tablespoons—you’ll brush them on top later.

6. Fold everything together with a spatula. Don’t overmix. When you see a few flour streaks still, stop. Seriously, stop.

7. Fold in your chocolate chips. Again, gentle. You’re folding laundry, not kneading bread.

8. Dump the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured counter. Pat it into a disc about 9-10 inches across and roughly ½ inch thick. It’ll look messy. That’s correct.

9. Slice into 8 triangles like you’re cutting a pizza.

10. Arrange them on your prepared baking sheet with about 2 inches between each. Brush with that reserved cream mixture. Sprinkle with sanding sugar if you’re feeling fancy.

11. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. You’re looking for golden brown edges and a slight firmness when you tap the top.

12. Let them cool for 5 minutes before you devour one. I know it’s hard.

CRUCIAL TIPS

For texture:

• Cold butter is non-negotiable. Warm butter = hockey pucks
• Room temperature eggs incorporate smoother (leave them out for an hour)
• Don’t squeeze or knead the dough—fold gently like you’re handling a baby bird

For flavor:

• Instant coffee works better than espresso powder here (dissolves cleaner)
• Mix chocolate types—semi-sweet + dark creates depth
• Want more coffee punch? Add another teaspoon of instant

Visual cues:

• After butter mixing: looks like wet sand
• Final dough: shaggy and barely holding together (that’s perfect)
• Done scones: golden brown, not pale and sad

STORAGE & EXTRAS

Storage:

• Counter: 5 days in an airtight container
• Freezer: 2 months in a freezer bag (freeze them baked)
• Reheat frozen scones at 350°F for 8 minutes straight from freezer

Scaling:

• Double everything for 16 scones
• Same temperature, same baking time
• You might need two baking sheets

Common mistakes:

• Overmixing the dough (creates tough, chewy scones instead of tender, flaky ones)
• Using a measuring cup to scoop flour directly from the bag (packs in too much flour—spoon it in instead)
• Cutting corners with warm butter (you’ll regret it)
• Skipping the pan rotation (uneven browning drives me mental)

Variations I actually make:

Espresso glaze version:
Whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons strong coffee, and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Drizzle over cooled scones. Messy but magnificent.

Extra chocolate:
Toss in ½ cup cocoa powder with the dry ingredients. Reduce flour to 2 cups. You’ll get a proper mocha bomb.

Lighter version:
Replace half the cream with Greek yogurt. Cuts calories and adds tang. Different texture, still delicious.

Look, I’ve made these scones more times than I can count.

Some batches have been perfect—flaky layers, balanced coffee-chocolate ratio, that satisfying crumb when you break one open.

Other times I’ve rushed it, overworked the dough, and ended up with dense doorstops.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for details.